Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Rohrbach.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Travel has always been a part of my life. As a child, my father’s academic career took our family around the world. In high school, as an exchange student, I was lucky enough to travel throughout Europe. Once in college at East Carolina University, I initially studied to be a nurse or a teacher. To pay my college expenses, I worked several jobs in hotels and restaurants. Very quickly, I realized my life would take a different direction; I soon changed my major to Hotel & Restaurant Administration. After graduation, I accepted a job with Hilton Worldwide Holdings and immediately worked my way up through a series of management positions. Eventually, I accepted a leadership position with a well-known ski resort in New England. In addition to the day-to-day operations of the business, I also learned more about the marketing and sales aspects of our industry, and I was hooked.
Family ties took me back to North Carolina in 2009 and there I went with a dream and a plan. Combining my love of travel and hospitality and sales and marketing, I formed Bernbach Travel with a Partner. Helping clients plan their dream vacations, booking their destination weddings and incredible honeymoons, and Adventures and bucket list trips – I love being the one to help make it all happen. Bernbach Travel is a fast-growing enterprise with 12 agents and we all have goals that we are all meeting. It is incredible to be a part of something that is so amazing.
I am also the mom of 5 children now. We hope to raise them to love travel, love adventure, respect the new cultures they encounter, and learn that there are so many different ways to live life.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The travel industry will make you or break you. Restaurants are open 7 days a week, hotels are open 24/7. Our clientele is international, so we work in every time zone, every day-literally. In 2019, Covid 19 appeared and struck our industry like a typhoon. Restaurants were closing, hotels shuttering their doors and their staff quit showing up. Aircraft were parked, and flights were canceled. Ships were tied up and cruises suspended. Our clients suddenly became concerned with mask mandates, Covid testing, vaccines, and quarantines. Many people gave up traveling for a time. Travel agents were working around the clock to pick up the pieces, and commissions soon evaporated. There were times when I wanted to give up. It was exhausting and the thanks were few and far between. But if you truly love what you do, you will prevail and that is exactly what we did.
This quote speaks volumes to me about this industry, “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” by Bob Marley.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Bernbach Travel LLC?
When we formed Bernbach Travel, my partner and I were already veterans in the travel industry. We both had a niche when we started and we quickly have branched off to sell all destinations. Our agency can book anything from theme park travel, all-inclusive travel, honeymoons, destination weddings, cruises, to luxury and adventure travel. One of my favorite quotes from Lewis Carroll is, “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take” I am so glad we took this chance!
I have been lucky to travel all around the globe. I have visited 48 of the United States, Canada, several Caribbean nations, Europe, and Africa. My husband and I were married in Tanzania.
Being a part of dream vacations, bucket list travels, destination weddings, amazing honeymoons, ultimate luxury and adventure trips, and more, has made us at Bernbach appreciate being a part of our client’s dreams and plans and aspirations. We hope we can be an important part of the memories they will treasure forever. What an incredible privilege it is for us.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is giving something 110%. Success is enjoying what you do so much, it is almost not a job anymore. Success is mastering something that difficult and conquering it, whether it’s starting over, starting a business, or striving for a goal that you feel might be unattainable. Keep the negative out and focus on the positive. It’s your life, live it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/bernbachtravel
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globaltravelbysara/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourfreetraveladvisor
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sara-rohrbach-bernbach-travel-angier-2
- Other: https://www.travelleaders.com/travel_agent/agent-details.aspx?id=174536
Image Credits
Tim Rohrbach (Tanzania Photo)
